1. Field of the Presently Disclosed and Claimed Inventive Concept(s)
The inventive concepts disclosed and claimed herein relate generally to wearing apparel and, more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to a combination neck scarf accessory and protective garment for the back and arms.
2. Background of the Presently Disclosed and Claimed Inventive Concept(s)
It is often desirable to wear a scarf tied about the neck for decorative purposes. Such scarves provide very little warmth, however, especially when worn with, for example, a sleeveless dress. Restaurants and other establishments can often seem cold to a woman in sleeveless apparel and yet warm to another in a sports coat or jacket. It would be useful to have wearing apparel that could function as both a decorative accessory and as an outer protective garment covering at least a portion of the shoulder and arms, thereby offering warmth.
A protective sleeve that can also be worn as headwear or around an athlete's neck for protection was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,665,876. While such a protective sleeve can potentially be worn around the neck for warmth, it does not resemble a standard rectangular elongated neck scarf, and would not function as such a decorative accessory. Similarly, an elongated, tubular garment is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,706,304 which provides protection for a person's arms and can even include a hood. However, the tubular garment cannot be opened to resemble a decorative neck scarf in shape and therefore would not function as such a decorative accessory. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 6,226,799 provides a scarf having an additional back portion and neck portion designed to provide additional warmth. However, such a scarf neither provides covering for the arms, nor resembles a decorative neck scarf in shape.
In light of the foregoing, there is a need for a dual purpose accessory that can be positioned as a decorative neck scarf or as a decorative protective garment covering at least a portion of the shoulders and arms. It is to such a dual purpose accessory and method that the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) is directed.